SINGLE: Paolo Nutini – 10/10

For some reason that now escapes me I had already decided that I hated Paolo Nutini even before I put 10/10 in the stereo. I was even more cynical about him when my chef friend Ryan, who listens to shit radio-friendly house all day, assured me that “it’s mint that”. But what do you know, […]
Sorry guys, I’m confused. The plastic envelope tells me that this is the single Under Control by Good Shoes, but my iTunes player assures me that this is the album American Idiot by the Bee Gees. Now I’m sure you’ll be thinking that this is just another case of iTune inaccuracy, but I actually believe […]

SINGLE: Good Shoes – Under Control

SINGLE: Owl City – Fireflies

I thought I’d better review this, because I’ve just heard that some kid called Owl City has hit the number one spot by imitating a boy drowning with a vocoder rammed down his throat. Now I don’t really give a shit about what’s at number 1, but at the same time I’m supposed to be […]
James Ford has been responsible for shaping some of the biggest British albums of the past few years producing Florence, Klaxons and Arctic Monkeys.  And alongside former Simian bandmate and Mobile Disco partner Jas Shaw he almost caused a renaissance of mainstream dance music in 2007 with ‘Attack Delay Sustain Release’ and their Justice collaboration […]

SINGLE: Simian Mobile Disco feat Beth Ditto – Cruel Intentions

SINGLE: Broken Bells – The High Road

For those of you not in the loop, Broken Bells is one of those surprising dream collaborations you could neither hope for nor expect. James Mercer of The Shins and Danger Mouse, legendary producer of The Grey Album, Gnarls Barkley etc, have teamed up to put the rest of us mere mortals in our place, […]
The latest release from Gigolo Records “U Can Dance” brings together two kings of different castles: Hell, a world renowned DJ/Producer and one of the pioneers of the Electroclash sound to recently emerge out of Berlin, and Bryan Ferry, seventies pop star and the lead singer of “Roxy Music”. Originally, Hell set out to rework […]

SINGLE: DJ Hell featuring Bryan Ferry – U Can Dance

LIVE: DEPECHE MODE – 17/12/2009

– MEN ARENA, MANCHESTER – You have to hand it to Dave Gahan. He always has an ace up his sleeve – and never more so than in live performance. It’s a miracle that he still with us today after 3 brushes with death in the 1990′s and a nasty bout of gastroenteritis earlier this […]
– GRAND CENTRAL, MANCHESTER – I’m a happy man when Tonn Piper walks into the Thirsty Scholar. I’ve wanted to see his band, Daywalkers, for years, but circumstances just keep conspiring against me. My joy is somewhat short-lived, however, as I find out they’re playing next door at Grand Central. This wouldn’t normally be a […]

LIVE: DAYWALKERS – 15/12/2009

LIVE: FRANK SIDEBOTTOM & HIS OH BLIMEY BIG BAND – 13/12/2009

OH BLIMEY, IT’S CHRISTMAS – LMRCA RAILWAY CLUB, ALTRINCHAM – I’m a firm believer that music should cover all aspects of life, it should be able to make you angry, happy, sad, serious, moody and also it should be able to make you laugh. Many people take their music way too seriously for my liking […]
– Manchester Central – Writing a gig review of one of the UK’s biggest selling bands is a daunting task for me, especially as I didn’t particularly enjoy the concert. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not as if they represent a genre that I’m not into… at least that’s what I thought. I’ve got a […]

LIVE: PLACEBO – 11/12/2009